I haven’t always eaten a healthy, organic, fanatically local diet. In fact, I don’t now. I do what I can, when I can; and I try not to feel guilty about the rest. But the one obstacle I hear regularly when I counsel someone to make dietary changes is that they cannot afford it. I empathize; really I do. But I disagree.

Last week I reviewed the movie Food, Inc. It was a great movie and I believe everyone should watch it. However, I have issue with the portrayal of the family that does not have time to cook because they leave their house at 6 a.m. and do not return until 9-10 p.m. They also said that they could not afford fresh vegetables, so opt for drive-through dollar menu food at Burger King. Sure, on the surface, junk food looks cheap. But they also shared their struggle with diabetes (a disease directly related to diet) and having to afford medications to treat it. This is what I would advise them to do.

Change Your Lifestyle

Why are you gone from home for 14 hours a day? That is not healthy. Families need rest and play time together. Please don’t tell me you’re running your kids to sports, drama, debate, etc. Please don’t tell me you work 14 hours a day and still cannot afford to eat properly. Something has to give, and at this point, it is your health.

Eating healthy is a lifestyle choice. To make whole wheat bread from freshly ground flour, one must be home to grind the wheat and make the bread. Healthy food requires preparation time. If eating healthy and changing your diet is important to you, you will change your habits to include the time.

Change Your Vision

The mistake a lot of folks make is to compare the price of “bad” manufactured foods with that of organic manufactured foods. You need to get past that. Become a shopper of ingredients and learn to cook. Purchasing raw ingredients (like grains, salt, sugar, and oil) in bulk and making your food from scratch is much cheaper than buying manufactured food. Give up the factory foods—even the organic ones.

Change Your Choices

Can you not afford locally grown produce because you spend $10 a week on Mountain Dew? Do you stop on your way to the office every day for a $3 cup of coffee, or join the guys for unhealthy $10 lunches several days a week? Perhaps your 120-pound Rottweiler eats $50 worth of dog food a month? These are all things you are free to do; but are these choices helping you in your goal to change your diet?

Grow Your Food

I realize that everyone doesn’t have a couple of acres to work with. But many, many people have urban homesteads. Gardens can be grown in back yards and even on patios. Do what you can; rather than complaining and doing nothing.

Check with your city. Many municipalities now allow a couple backyard chickens. Some even allow goats.  Subscribe to a helpful magazine like Urban Farm to learn all you can. Read All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew for more helpful advice.

However, if you do live in a rural area, what are you waiting for? Find a farmer friend and learn all you can about gardening and keeping animals for eggs, milk, and meat. Do what you can.

Buy Locally

If you cannot produce enough for your family, or if you are physically unable to garden, visit your local farmers’ market. Purchase what you can from local organic farms. If you still cannot afford it, barter something. Many Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms accept work hours in exchange for food.

Start Slow and Small

Whatever you do, do it slowly. For one thing, this transition takes time. For another, you will need to adjust your budget to allow for monthly shopping of bulk products. I started 25 years ago with baking my own bread. It was several years later before I was introduced to a produce co-op that provided all the produce my family needed. Rather than cutting out boxed foods entirely, start reading labels. First, quit buying anything with MSG and replace them with what you make from scratch. Second, eliminate high fructose corn syrup. Third, axe the artificial coloring. By this time I’m betting there’s nothing in a box left that you can purchase.

One step at a time, and over 25 years, we’ve gone from eating manufactured food for every meal to eating it only on occasion. And I still spend less than $400 a month to feed a family of six. If I can do it, you can too.

 Photo by Downing Street

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I know Food, Inc. has been out for a while. However, our family is so slow at getting to movies that I just watched Food, Inc. while we were on Staycation. This movie made such an impact on our thinking that I wanted to share it with you here.

Prior to viewing, I did already know that our food supply is controlled by only a handful of major corporations. But I had no idea how that control came about, or to what extent these corporations go to keep it that way.

Narrators Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, take the viewer behind the scenes of commercial chicken farms, slaughterhouses, poultry and pork processing facilities, and Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFO). A few of the chapters include:

• “Fast Food to All Food”—how the fast food industry started the industrial revolution for food.
• “A Cornucopia of Choices”—the role corn plays in most manufactured food.
• “Unintended Consequences”—highlights one mother’s battle for legislation after the death of her son due to an infection with E coli.
• “The Dollar Menu”—discusses the choices parents make between fresh vegetables and cheap, fast food.
• “Power of the Consumer”—discusses what choices consumers can make to change the system.

Manufactured Food

According to the movie, manufacturing food began to fulfill the fast food industry’s need for uniformity. McDonald’s, for instance, wants to know that a hamburger in one of their stores in Ohio looks, weighs, and tastes the same as a hamburger in Florida. This drive for uniformity not only led to manufacturing the food, but growing it as well.

In 1950, it took 70 days to grow a meat chicken. Today, a chicken twice the size grows in 48 days. Since people like to eat white meat, chickens have been redesigned to have large breasts. This disfigurement causes other issues. On my own place, I’ve seen our Cornish Rock Cross broilers get so heavy they could barely walk. We routinely lost chickens to broken legs. Feeling this unnatural and unhealthy, this year we purchased Freedom Ranger chicks and were much happier with the outcome. But in an interview for the movie, Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council said, “We’re not producing chickens, we’re producing food.”

Conversely, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms shares, “The industrial food is not honest food. It’s not priced honestly; it’s not produced honestly; it’s not processed honestly. There’s nothing honest about that food.”

Corn Facts

Following are a few random facts about corn that I gleaned from this movie:

• “So much of our industrial food turns out to be clever rearrangements of corn.” Michael Pollan
• A hundred years ago a farmer could grow 20 bushels of corn to the acre. Today, 200 bushels is normal.
• Thirty percent of the land in the US is planted in corn.

My own brother, a physician, told me that the number one concern that Americans face with their diet is that we are overdosing on corn. It is in practically everything we eat. If you want to avoid genetically modified corn products in your foods, look to avoid  the following ingredients on your labels:

• cellulose
• calcium stearate
• xantham gum
• saccharin
• maltodextrin
• sorbital
• sucrose
• gluten
• high fructose corn syrup
• ethel acetate
• citrus cloud emulsion
• ascorbic acid
• di-glycerides
• baking powder
• vanilla extract
• fructose
• sorbic acid
• starch
• semolina
• margarine

You probably want to avoid all commercially raised meat as well because corn is the main ingredient in all animal feeds. Even farm-raised tilapia and salmon are fed corn—something they would never eat in nature.

While on the subject of corn, the chapter “From Seed to the Supermarket” plays like a suspense thriller describing the lengths that Monsanto goes through to protect the patents that they have on corn. Yes, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of this corporation patenting what, initially, God created, and now they have genetically modified.

What We Can Do About It

Watching Food, Inc. is almost despairing. But there are things that you can do. That is where “Power of the Consumer” comes in. Grow as much of your own food as possible and what you can’t, buy from local, organic farms. Taking this transition one step at a time, you can change the way your family eats and make a difference in the food manufacturing process.

The Washington Post said of this movie, “Everyone should see Food, Inc.”

Oprah Winfrey said, “It might change your life.”

I say, “Watch Food, Inc. and it will change your life.”

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As a young adult, coffee ruled my life. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t even like coffee. But having to be at my desk at the print shop at 7 a.m. was not easy for this night owl. At first I simply enjoyed the aroma from afar. Then, I’d pour myself a cup to get that smell a little closer. I’d hold the mug in my hands to warm them between jobs.

The next thing you know, I was sipping. Not too much at first. One must acquire a taste for coffee. But it didn’t take me long. Next thing you know, I soon downed the entire mug, black, and going for more. I became a regular at the office coffee bar. The last straw was buying my own Mr. Coffee for the apartment so I could indulge on the weekend.

Isn’t that how every addiction begins? First a glance, then a smell, then one sip at a time. Once I knew I couldn’t make it through a day without a pot of java, I determined to cut back. That didn’t work. So I quit—cold turkey. The effects resembled a druggy going through DT’s.

• Massive headaches
• The shakes
• Uncontrollable nervousness
• Blood-shot eyes
• Inability to crawl out of bed
• Depression
• Disorientation

Then I was free—until I met my mother-in-law. Another one caught in the clutches of this legal lethal substance, she’s a sly one, and oh, so sweet. How could I resist her urgings to have just one cup. Before you could say Jack Robinson I was falling off the wagon.

This roller-coaster ride of caffeine addiction went on for years before I finally conquered it—for good. But now, 20 years later, I’m finding that it’s not only more readily available, it’s cool. It’s expected, and it’s downright in-your-face.

I honestly believe that if caffeine was sold in little vials in back alleys, dark stairwells, or in truck stop locker rooms, it would be illegal. But it’s not; and it’s not. And I didn’t realize how scary it had become until I found “energy shots” in my son’s car.

Several medications should not be taken while consuming caffeine. A few are:

• Antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin.
• Bronchodilators such as theophylline
• Herbs such as Echinacea
• And some over-the-counter preparations, like Excedrin, already contain caffeine. So if you take them you are getting more in your system than you realize.

So what’s the problem?

Maybe you feel you handle your caffeine addiction just fine and would rather I butt out of your business. But let me give you a few things to think about, then you decide.

• An article on MayoClinic.com reports “Data from two large, long-term women’s health studies suggest a connection between high caffeine intake and precancerous or high-risk breast lesions.” If I were a woman with sore, cystic breasts, I would re-evaluate my caffeine intake.
• The amount of caffeine in 2-3 cups of coffee can significantly raise your blood pressure.
• Caffeine impairs insulin action. If you have type-2 diabetes, and struggle to keep your blood sugar under control, you should limit your caffeine consumption.
• Caffeine can interfere with sleep and sleep patterns. If you work in a field that requires a good night’s sleep, have small children that wake you up in the night, or are in the time of life that sleep evades, eliminating caffeine from your diet is in order.
• Suffer from irregular or rapid heartbeats? Caffeine is known to aggravate the symptoms.
• Caffeine, coffee in particular, is known to aggravate stomach issues. If you suffer from indigestion or heartburn, have a peptic ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome, or any other non-ulcer stomach pain, you should greatly limit or eliminate your intake of coffee.

I finally gave up coffee for good because it caused extreme pain in my stomach. If coffee bothers your stomach, too, next week I will share a way to prepare it that will not only reduce its caffeine content, but also reduce the stomach-burning acids.

How about you? Share your struggles with caffeine in the comment section below.

Photo by doug88888

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Did you know that the United States Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid recommends that adults have between 6-11 servings of grains each day? Since this is National Whole Grains Month, I’d like to look at the recommendation through new eyes; because, to be honest, 11 slices of whole wheat bread just doesn’t look appealing to me—even my homemade from freshly-ground flour bread.

Wheat is not the only grain

When someone says “grain” most people envision wheat, rice, or corn. But there are so many more choices than that. What about the wide array of ancient grains that most Americans have never heard of?

Amaranth—Cultivated for thousands of years, amaranth was a staple food of the Aztec people. After the Spanish Conquistadors invaded Mexico in the 1500s, it almost disappeared as a crop. Amaranth seeds contain from 14-16% protein. And, according to the Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute, “the protein is well balanced in amino acids, and is high in lysine, an amino acid most grains are deficient in.” This ancient grain is also high in fiber and contains high levels of tocotrienols (members of the vitamin E family). Some folks like to cook it as porridge. It can also be popped like popcorn, milled into flour and added to bread products, and boiled and served like rice. Amaranth is also gluten-free.

Millet—Better known as bird food in this country, millet has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. With a protein content similar to wheat (around 11%), this cereal grain is also high in B vitamins. Because it is gluten-free, you cannot use millet flour for making raised, yeast breads. However, you can add millet flour to your wheat for a multi-grain bread or use it to make flatbreads or pancakes. To cook millet like you would rice, first toast it in a dry pan to bring out the flavor. Then cook with three times the water as grain for 30 minutes.

Quinoa—Though technically not a true cereal grain because it does not come from the grass family, no grain article would be complete without mentioning quinoa. Domesticated by the Incas in ancient times, quinoa is one of the only plant foods to contain a balanced set of amino acids—making it a complete protein. Since quinoa is a very good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this food is valuable for a person’s arterial health. To cook quinoa, first thoroughly rinse the seeds. Then, combine 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cover. The quinoa should be ready in about 15 minutes. For a nuttier flavor, try dry-roasting the seeds prior to adding the water. Add fruit and nuts to make a breakfast cereal. Add the seeds to vegetable soup. Or, grind into flour and add to your multi-grain bread.

Spelt—Actually a cousin to wheat, spelt has been used in Europe from ancient times. Because this grain does not normally cause the intolerance issues that wheat causes in some people, it has made a comeback as a replacement for wheat in making yeast breads. This grain offers a whopping 62% of the Daily Value for manganese, as well as an impressive amount of protein, B vitamins, and copper.

I hope this gives you a few new grains to think about adding to your diet. I like to purchase them in little bags at the bulk food store and mill them mixed together to add to pancake or bread flour—enhancing the nutritional value of my wheat. Here is one of my favorites.

Recipe

For an incredible multi-grain pancake combine ½ the wheat you would normally use with a mixture of several other grains. A few of my favorites are millet, brown rice, and whole oats. Mill this mixture into flour. Make your batter as you normally would. Serve with generous amounts of real butter and maple syrup.

Photo by digiyesica

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Mint is an ancient herb that was prevalent in medieval herb gardens; its use both as a herb and as an oil is not new. However, it might be that different types of mints were used for different conditions and purposes, as there is more than one type of mint species that has medicinal uses. Peppermint, spearmint and cornmint are three types of mint that have therapeutic properties.

Historical Use of Mint

Mint was common in European herb gardens. However, it is possible that both spearmint and peppermint were used interchangeably and perhaps confused with one another in written medieval texts because I have found conflicting “evidence” of the origin of peppermint.

According to Julia Lawless in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils evidence of the use of peppermint (Mentha piperita) was found in ancient Egyptian tombs; Patricia Davis, in Aromatherapy: An A -Z, also writes that peppermint was used by the Romans and, most likely, the Egyptians too. However, Marina Heilmeyer writes in Ancient Herbs that peppermint was not in existence until 1696, a result of the cross-hybridization of horsemint (Mentha longifolia)and watermint (Mentha aquatica); Lawless writes that peppermint is a hybrid of watermint and spearmint. Whatever the real facts of the story, some type of mint was in common usage both as a culinary and medicinal herb.

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is probably the most common and popular type of herb and mint essential oil in use today. Peppermint is a small, perennial herb that has highly aromatic leaves. There are different types of peppermint plants including white peppermint and black peppermint; both have different colored leaves and flowers (source: The Aromatherapy Garden, Julia Lawless).

Peppermint essential oil is steam distilled from the fragrant herb; it is primarily composed of the chemical components menthol and menthone. Peppermint oil is used in aromatherapy for acne, dermatitis, asthma, bronchitis, digestive problems, colds, headaches and fatigue. Do not use peppermint oil in conjunction with any homeopathic treatments. Peppermint oil might cause skin irritation, due to high menthol content. You should also avoid the use of peppermint oil with and around newborn babies as it might cause breathing difficulties.

Spearmint Oil

Spearmint (Mentha spicta) is probably familiar to those in the United States because of its association with chewing gum flavor! However, it does have medicinal uses too. Spearmint is also a perennial herb but it has bright green leaves and pink/lilac flowers; it is native to the Mediterranean region from where it was transported to America.

Spearmint essential oil is also steam distilled from the fragrant herb; it is not high in menthol or menthone, unlike peppermint oil, which makes it a more suitable alternative to use with children. However, it is high in ketones, so is contra-indicated for use in pregnancy; in addition, do not combine it with homeopathic treatments. Use spearmint oil for nausea, digestive problems, colds, fatigue, headaches and respiratory problems.

Cornmint Oil

Cornmint (Mentha arvensis) is a much smaller herb than peppermint (by about one third in size); it has lilac colored flowers. Cornmint is native to Europe, China and Japan. Cornmint is a member of the Lamiaceae plant family, the same as peppermint and spearmint.

Cornmint essential oil is, like peppermint oil, high in menthol; it is also not suitable for use with homeopathic treatments. According to Lawless, peppermint oil is preferable to the use of cornmint oil as cornmint oil is often fractionated (some of the menthol content is often removed to stabilize the oil in liquid form at room temperature). However, cornmint oil does have some aromatherapy uses (very similar to peppermint oil). Cornmint was traditionally used in Chinese medicine for a number of problems including skin complaints.

General Information About Essential Oils

Always dilute essential oils in a carrier oil or lotion base before applying them to the skin. Be aware of any contra-indications for use and if in doubt consult a qualified and experienced professional aromatherapist for further advice.

Photo by Fernando Stankuns

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In other parts of the world, beans are a staple item. In fact, the Brazilian Food Pyramid actually has a section devoted to beans. Why are beans consumed all over the world? Basically, they are really good for you; and they are cheap.

The Black bean, or black turtle bean, is a variety of the common Phaseolus vulgaris. It belongs to the legume family of plants and shares many characteristics with its cousins—kidney beans, pinto beans, or navy beans. However, the black bean does have some qualities all its own.

Health Benefits of Black Beans

• High in phytonutrients.
• High in fiber. From a single cup serving of black beans, you get 15 grams of fiber.
• High in protein. From that same 1 cup serving you will also receive 15 grams of protein.
• Black beans lower your risk of colon cancer more than any other bean variety.
• Black beans are an excellent source of three anthocyanins which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Bean consumption has shown to lower risk for type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several types of cancer.

In addition to these benefits, one cup of black beans provide 2/3 the daily value of folate and 120 milligrams of magnesium—two essential nutrients for cardiovascular support. That same cup also contains about 180 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids and an impressive amount of zinc and manganese. What’s more, when black beans are prepared with whole grains they provide a high quality source of protein.

“I eat beans,” you might say. “Whenever I go to Taco Bell.” But is that the way to reap the rewards listed here? How often should a person consume beans? According to dietary guidelines established by the U.S. government, in order to reap the health benefits provided by eating legumes, adults should consume at least 3 cups of beans per week in ½ cup servings over 6 days.

The Easiest Way to Prepare Black Beans

Since beans require such a long cooking time anyway, the health benefits do not change if one eats canned beans or those prepared at home. Before I learned this fact, I struggled to cook my beans long enough to get them soft. Then, my mother told me that it is due to the hardness of our water. She suggested that we buy bottled water to cook our beans in—that it works for her. Not wanting to use bottled water, I learned to can my dried beans for myself.

• Soak your beans overnight.
• The next morning, drain and rinse and put into canning jars. You do not want to fill the jars more than 2/3 as the beans will continue to swell in the canning process.
• Cover the beans with boiling water.
• Cap and process under 10 pounds of pressure. Process 75 minutes for quarts and 55 minutes for pints.

I spend a day doing several turns in the canner. Then, I have beans on hand for a few months. Now, you can do it, too. However, if you still prefer to buy your beans in the can, read the label and choose a brand without salt, fat, or other additives.

Ways to Serve Black Beans

• Dice sweet, red bell peppers and onions to mix with black beans. Cook with a bay leaf, minced garlic, and Real Salt to taste. Serve over rice, in tacos, or in wraps.
• Sprinkle black beans over your salads.
• Mix the beans in with your salsa or pico de gallo.
• Mix with pinto and light red kidney beans for a three-bean chili.
• Mix beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. Squeeze lime juice over and sprinkle with Real Salt. Serve with chips.

Photo by paul goyette

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If I could grow only one thing in my garden, I’d have to choose greens. Now, if I had to narrow that down to a specific variety, I’d be in trouble. But if I could grow just greens, I would have an endless variety—spinach, kale, collards, Swiss chard, beet tops, cabbage, lettuce, and more. And they would all have a place of honor in that 25×75 plot of ground out back.

I know that greens get a bad rap. We all have bad memories of our parents coaxing us to “eat your greens, Honey.” We can remember those slimy, army-green piles of mush on our plates staring back and mom encouraging us to “try a little vinegar” to help get them down. I know that fresh, stir-fried greens are so much more appealing. But in the dead of winter, throwing a cup of Swiss chard into the soup pot brings such an aroma to the kitchen, those memories just fade away forever.

Canning greens

Canning anything is my method of choice because I tend to forget to take supper out of the freezer before 5 p.m. However, if you want your greens to taste “fresh from the garden,” canning is not the way to go. I’m still going to include instructions here, though, because if you want to add them to soups or casseroles, having a few jars on hand is great. We have a mid-size family so I can greens in pints. Use quarts for large families and half-pints for couples.

• Sort leaves, remove any you would not want to eat, and wash. Cut off tough stems and midribs and chop.
• Steam the leaves, stirring, until thoroughly wilted.
• Pack into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headroom. Add ¼ teaspoon salt for pints and ½ teaspoon for quarts. Pour boiling water up to ½ inch from the top.
• Pressure-process at 10 pounds of pressure—70 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts.

Freezing greens

Frozen greens can be cooked to eat as they are. We like to cook them in ham broth with some diced onions. We also add them to stir fries, casseroles, and pasta dishes. I freeze them in plastic freezer boxes or my canning jars. You can also use zipper-shut, plastic bags.

• Sort leaves, remove any you would not want to eat, and wash. Cut off tough stems and midribs and chop.
• Blanch the greens in boiling water. Most varieties blanch for 2 minutes. Collards blanch for 3 minutes. If you live 5,000 feet or more above sea level, add 1 minute to these times. A pasta pot with the colander inside is the best tool for this job. That way, when your two minutes are up, you simply lift the colander, drain, and dump the greens.
• Immediately immerse them in icy cold water. I use a colander in this bowl, too. I dump the greens from the “hot” colander to the “cold” one. Stir. Chill for as long as you blanched them.
• Remove greens from the ice water to a thick towel. This allows excess water to drain from the greens before packing them into containers. I recommend that you use an old towel, or a dark colored one. Otherwise it will be stained that army-green color.
• Seal and freeze.

Keep in mind when preserving or cooking greens that what may look like an overwhelming amount raw will cook down to a small bowlful. Typically, you will need 2-6 pounds of greens to fill one quart jar.

I keep two books in my kitchen all summer long. They are must haves for food preservation instructions. The first, Putting Food By by Hertzberg, Vaughan, and Greene, not only gives instructions for canning and freezing; but also drying, root cellaring, and curing. Ball Blue Book by the Ball Brothers Company gives explicit instructions for canning and freezing and some of the greatest recipes you will ever find.

So, forget those slimy, army-green mounds on that childhood plate and “eat your greens, Honey.” You will be glad you did.

Photo by jbachman01

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Some plants we eat, I think, by default. Because they do not poison, we ingest them to fill hungry stomachs. Like turnips, they bring no other satisfaction or inspiration to life.

Other plants we eat for the sheer delight they bring, arousing the palate and brightening the mood—like berries. Red, black, blue, a veritable rainbow of delight!

Our family spends a good part of the summer along hedgerows and mountain trails, harvesting God’s free bounty of the most nutrient-dense, and delicious, foods to be had. We don’t depend on these berries to survive like my neighbor Stanley did growing up in the gap during the depression. But, oh, they taste so much sweeter knowing they cost only as much as the gas we put in the car to get there—and a little sweat.

I had to ask a lot of old-timers to find out the name of the berries we found in the gap. Yet, even though they kept saying, “Wineberries,” I couldn’t find them in any of my gardening or living-off-the-land books. We enjoyed their sweet, sticky flavor for years before I finally thought to look in the Foxfire books. There it was, in Foxfire 3 , “Wineberry (rubus phoenicolasius) Commonly called red raspberry in the mountains, strawberry-raspberry.”

The Wineberry

A perennial shrub with canes reaching up to 10 feet long, the wineberry comes from Asia. Some people consider it a pesky, invasive species. I bet they’ve never tasted one berry. Similar to the native red raspberry (rubus ideaus), the wineberry differs by reddish-purplish (wine-colored) hairs along the stems and calyx and a layer of wooly, white hairs that cover the underside of the leaf. Somewhat larger than raspberries, the wineberries taste sweeter and have softer seeds. We find them along roadsides in the valley and in the mountains. Moist, partially shaded areas are the best locations to look.

The Black Raspberry

Before the wineberries come out, though, we’ve already put up plenty of black raspberry jam. Called black caps or thimbleberry by some, the black raspberry (rubus occidentalis) flourishes along fencerows, in fields, or beside unkempt, old barns.

The long canes of this very sweet berry are pale with finely cut, soft green leaves. These leaves, white on the underside, are rich in vitamin C. Some folks dry them to make tea. The ripe fruit is small, dark purple, and a favorite for jams and jellies. This deliciously healthy berry contains certain anticancer compounds and most berries contain flavonoids that are potent antioxidants. Responsible for the dense blue, purple or red coloring in the berry, they protect blood vessels from damage, aid in circulation (especially the eyes, heart and extremities), and reduce inflammation.

After the black caps and wineberries, the blackberry season begins. Growing along roadsides and in old fields, the blackberry (rubus argutus) has very thorny stems and five, deep green leaflets. The fruit is black, juicy, and as big as the end of your thumb.

We like to freeze our blackberries. After washing and drying, we spread them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, we put them in zip shut bags and save them for fruit salad or smoothies. The blackberry is also choice for cobblers, cordials, and syrup.

As well as its delectable flavor, the blackberry is excellent for diarrhea. In her book Herbal Medicine, Dian Dincin Buchman tells of her mother drying blackberries, grinding them into powder, and putting the powder in a jar labeled “D.”

“I somehow thought the ‘D’ meant Dincin, but when I was about six I learned it actually meant diarrhea,” she says. “The powder is taken in teaspoon doses with a small amount of water, but tea made from the leaves…can be used in cup doses several times a day.”

The Elderberry

Toward the end of summer, we pick elderberries. Unlike the brambles, the elderberry (sambucus canadensis) forms a tall shrub. We search for the telltale, easy-to-spot flower clusters in the spring and remember the location of the bushes. This makes spotting the tiny fruit easier later in the season.

Elderberries generally ripen to a dark blue-black toward the end of August. Avoid the red ones. Unripe or raw berries contain a chemical that can cause stomach upset if eaten in excess. But who needs raw berries. Elderberry jam is superb, elderberry wine is sought after, and elderflower fritters are unforgettable.

We use the elderberries primarily for home remedies. Studies have shown elderberry syrup to have anti-viral and anti-flu properties. Both the flowers and berries, prepared into a tea, induce sweating, thereby reducing fevers.

Walking through a nearby farmer’s market, I spied raspberries for six dollars a pint. I could never buy all the berries in my freezer at that price. But I could afford the time to hike the mountain trails while picking berries and chatting with my husband. I wonder if Stanley realizes how good he had it. Berries and exercise—the perfectly healthy, perfectly delicious combination.

Photo by mccun934

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When I read this story of Bruce Flett, I was shocked. This man spent the greater part of last year suffering with dementia as a result of an infection in his heart and a valve replacement. Flett was unable to dial the telephone, use the computer, talk clearly, or even take care of his own basic needs. The doctor had given him no hope of recovery. His wife had almost given up, but she just could not let him go. One day, while checking a new friend’s Facebook page, she found a video on the use of coconut oil and dementia. It immediately caught her attention.

Within hours of feeding Flett coconut oil, his faculties started to return. Within three months, he has recovered enough that he is now able to drive his car and take back former responsibilities. I’m still astonished that what once was labeled the “bad” fat by dieticians, and removed from all processed foods, actually is good for you. After hearing this story, my husband said, “Buy some. I want to start taking it.” What middle-aged person that is beginning to experience their first glimpses of senior moments wouldn’t want to take something now touted as a “brain food”?

Research done by Dr. Mary Newport of Spring Hill, Florida confirms Flett’s experience. Dr. Newport’s husband suffered with severe Alzheimer ’s disease before she discovered the healing properties of medium chain triglycerides (MCT oils) and ketone bodies (the end product of the metabolism of the MCT). MCT oil, she says, is derived from coconut and palm kernel oils, and “that coconut oil is 60% medium chain fatty acids, contains no cholesterol and also contains omega-6 fatty acids.”

After receiving our first tub of coconut oil from the food co-op we order from, my daughter tried a spoonful. “This is like eating shortening,” she said, “albeit, coconut flavored.”

“If that’s the case,” I thought, “how in the world am I going to be able to do this? I don’t even like coconut.” That thought led me on a quest to incorporate coconut oil into our foods—foods we would enjoy eating. Here are ways that we have come to eat coconut oil.

As a spread. The Fletts began mixing the coconut oil with butter and using it in its place. Once accustomed to the taste, they gradually went all coconut oil. My daughter, however, discovered that coconut oil tastes fantastic spread on graham crackers. My husband spreads it on toast with jam. I prefer it spread on crackers with Nutella®.

Recipe for  Snack Bars

Melt together: ½ cup butter, ½ cup coconut oil, 1 cup honey, and 1 cup chocolate chips. Once melted, add 1 cup ground flax seed, 1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup sesame seeds, 4 cups rolled oats, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Spread mixture in jelly-roll pan and freeze. Once hardened, cut into squares and enjoy.

As a Deep-fry Fat

The Fletts use coconut oil to deep-fry their potatoes and sweet potatoes. “It’s a whole new way of thinking,” Flett’s wife, Carol, shared. “Fries can actually be good for you, because you don’t get carcinogens like you would using other oils, you just get lots of coconut oil.  And they are so delicious done that way.”

In Smoothies

Unfortunately, my husband had to take several rounds of antibiotics this winter. In order to counteract the adverse effects of them, he has been sucking down the yogurt/berry smoothies. When the coconut oil arrived from the co-op, he began adding it to his morning smoothie. What a flavor it makes with strawberry, banana, and pineapple.

Whatever your reason for wanting to ingest more coconut oil, these recipes should get you started. Maybe after eating it hidden in these foods, you can do like the big boys and eat it off the spoon.

Photo by SingChan

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Eggs are associated with Easter; from chocolate covered Easter eggs to hard boiled eggs that are painted and decorated by children, it is hard to avoid eggs at Easter time. Real eggs (as oppose to the chocolate-covered variety) have many nutritional benefits but they also carry some risks for particular health problems. Eggs need to be cooked and stored properly to avoid a risk of food poisoning. In particular, children are also the most vulnerable to an egg allergy.

The Nutrients in Eggs

The most common type of egg that we eat is the chicken egg; however duck and goose eggs are also suitable for human consumption. Eggs vary in quality and size depending on the diet of the bird which lays them. Eggs are a great source of protein. The ingredients of eggs include:

• essential amino acids
• vitamin A
• iron
• several of the different types of Vitamin B (such as B9 and B2)
• calcium
• potassium.

Eggs contain a egg yolk and egg white; the egg white predominately contains water and the remainder of the egg white is made up of protein, vitamins and minerals. The egg yolk has more nutritional value than the egg white and contains a high percentage of vitamins.

How to Eat Eggs

Although eggs can be eaten raw, it is usually most common to cook eggs before eating them; there are many ways to cook eggs including boiling, scrambling, frying, pickling and adding them to baked products (such as cakes). Do not eat raw eggs if you are pregnant, a child or elderly. Eggs also need to be stored correctly otherwise there is the risk of food poisoning.

Cholesterol and Eggs

Despite the fact that (chicken) eggs contain many nutrients, they are also high in cholesterol (source). Egg yolks contain all the cholesterol whereas egg whites do not contain cholesterol. Although cholesterol is needed by the body to function properly, low-density lipoproteins (commonly known as bad cholesterol) are the “type” of cholesterol that increase the risk of heart attacks and clogged arteries (source: Prescription for Nutritional Healing, James F Balch, Phyllis A Balch). Therefore, in order to keep your cholesterol levels low, you should either limit your intake of other sources of cholesterol when you eat eggs or alternatively eat only the egg white.

Salmonella and Eggs

There is a risk of food poisoning, in particular from the bacteria Salmonella Enteritidis, with eggs. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advise that as long as eggs are cooked properly, stored properly and handled properly the risk is minimal. Keep eggs in the refrigerator to minimize any potential increase in Salmonella Enteritidis and cook the eggs throughly. Salmonella Enteritidis causes fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramps that can last between four and seven days; severe cases of Salmonella Enteritidis need hospitalization.

Egg Allergies

It maybe that you are allergic to dairy products such as eggs; an allergy to eggs also includes all food products that are made with eggs, so you need to be aware of what goes into every item of food that you buy. Children are the most vulnerable to egg allergies (source) but it is usual for older children to “grow out” of egg allergies. However, it is particularly important to know if your child is allergic to eggs because, like a lot of health problems, the seriousness of the risk is greater in children.

Foods to avoid if you have an egg allergy (unless otherwise stated on the labeling that eggs are not part of the ingredients) include:

• chocolates, cakes and cookies
• mayonnaise
• salad dressings such as hollandaise and Caesar
• ice-cream
• meringues
• pancakes
• French toast
• some fillings for cream pies.

Eggs and Easter

Painting eggs is a popular Easter tradition; eggs are usually hard boiled and the shell of the egg is painted in various designs. If you are painting eggs this Easter, you might want to remember some of the nutritional value of eggs too. In addition, its a fun thing to do with children – and hand painted, hard boiled eggs are more healthy than the consumption of lots of chocolate Easter eggs!

Photo by splorp

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